Food caddies and glass bags ‘doing the job in high winds’

Concerns have been raised previously that the lightweight containers might be blown away after they had been emptied.

Recycling officer Tina Norman-Ross said only a few households had contacted the department yesterday to report that their caddies had gone missing.

‘In part that shows what a good job the collection contractors have done, plus we know some people woke up to find their caddy wasn’t where they left it, but they have subsequently found it,’ she said yesterday.

‘It was especially windy last night, with gusts of up to force eight in the early hours, and that provided the first real test of the new containers. The feedback from one contractor is that a lot of caddies had been blown about in the night, but they managed to empty all the ones they found and put them back as best they could.

‘Obviously if they had moved they might not have been put back quite where the owners are expecting them, but all being well they will find their way back.’

She said this highlighted the importance of writing house names on caddies.

So far there have been about 50 requests for replacement caddies since they were delivered islandwide over the summer. That includes ones that have gone missing this week or been damaged.

‘What we have not seen at all this week is glass bags going missing,’ Mrs Norman-Ross said.

‘That is something which some households had raised some concerns about, but it does show those are working very well, as we have had a few windy nights this week.’

Anyone worried about their caddy can put a stone on top of it.

‘It should always go on top of the container, not in it, otherwise it is likely to just get emptied into the collection vehicle,’ Mrs Norman-Ross said.

‘We know of at least one area last week where the contractors had emptied food containers and hung them on the fence at the front of the houses. We have also had reports of some households putting a hook on their fence post to secure them.

‘Most people are used to having to deal with their black bags and recycling bags in the past, so they may come up with different solutions. There are a few things that we can all do, like trying to ensure the containers are visible but not too exposed, and in the case of food or glass some may decide they can hang on to that for another collection.’